(1) Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a display device, and more specifically to a liquid crystal display device in a lateral electric field mode excellent in viewing angle characteristics.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In the liquid crystal display device, a TFT substrate includes a pixel having a pixel electrode, a thin film transistor (a TFT), and the like formed in a matrix configuration, a counter substrate is disposed opposite to the TFT substrate, and a liquid crystal is sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate. An image is formed by controlling the optical transmittance of liquid crystal molecules for individual pixels. Since the liquid crystal display device is flat and light-weight, the use is widely spread in various fields. Small-sized liquid crystal display devices are widely used in a mobile telephone, a DSC (Digital Still Camera), and the like.
An alignment film is used to initially orientate liquid crystal molecules. There are methods for aligning this alignment film by a rubbing method and for aligning this alignment film by applying polarized ultraviolet rays to the alignment film. In the rubbing method, the surface of the alignment film is rubbed by a cloth like material. In the rubbing, ionic foreign substances are produced. Moreover, ionic foreign substances are also produced caused by contamination due to manufacturing processes and a manufacture apparatus and caused by degraded members configuring a liquid crystal display device. These foreign substances specifically exist on the peripheral portions to cause unevenness around a screen.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei10 (1999)-333182 describes a configuration in which a pixel pitch on a dummy pixel region in the vertical direction or the lateral direction is different from a pixel pitch on a display region in order to confine ionic foreign substances on the dummy pixel region on the peripheral portion of the display region.